‘Sex Box’: WE tv’s New Dating Show Goes All the Way

WE tv is going all the way with Sex Box.

The AMC Networks-owned cabler has ordered dating show Sex Box to series, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The network has picked up nine hourlong episodes for a 2015 premiere.

Based on the U.K. show of the same name, Sex Box follows real couples whose relationships are on the rocks. The couples have sex in a soundproof box and immediately afterward, address their issues with a panel of experts for a series of emotionally honest conversations about intimacy.

“Sex Box is one of the most unique and compelling show concepts we’ve ever seen, and we can’t wait to bring it to WE tv,” WE tv president Marc Juris said. “Our featured couples will get a once-in-a-lifetime experience, while our viewers will get the kind of bold, break-through-the-clutter programming they increasingly associate with WE tv.”

The series, which hails from Relativity Television, started as a special on the U.K.’s Channel 4 and collected 906,000 viewers to its October debut. The series drew lots of media attention and was a hit on social media. Relativity acquired the rights to the series and pitched it to U.S. networks, with WE tv president Juris ordering a pilot of the series in March.

WE tv’s panel includes Dr. Fran Walfish, a leading Beverly Hills relationship psychotherapist who treats celebrity couples and L.A.’s poshest residents through her private practice; Dr. Chris Donaghue, a licensed clinical therapist and one of only 600 certified sex therapists in the world; and Florida pastor Dr. Yvonne Capehart, founder of Healed for Real, a healing and deliverance conference. Comedian Danielle Stewart will provide backstage commentary on the series, which hails from Relativity’s Tom Forman and Brad Bishop. WE tv’s Juris and Lauren Gellert will oversee for the network.

Sex Box comes as broadcast and cable networks have been struggling to launch a new reality format. The show marks the latest twist on the dating genre, where VH1 most recently made headlines with Dating Naked.

For WE tv, the series arrives as the cable network looks to expand beyond female-skewing fare. The cabler recently rebranded and dropped the word “women” from its name with a renewed focus on attracting a broader audience. Sex Box joins a lineup that includes Braxton Family Values, SWV Reunited, Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars and scripted drama The Divide, from Richard LaGravenese and Tony Goldwyn.

Watch an episode of the U.K.’s Sex Box below.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
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